A Replication and Extension of the Antisymmetry Effect in Pigeons

Urcuioli, Peter J.; Swisher, Melissa

doi:10.1901/jeab.2012.98-283

Cited by 10 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…In summary, Experiment 1 showed that rats can acquire a complex set of successive conditional discriminations using olfactory stimuli with schedule parameters based on Urcuioli (). However, there was little evidence of symmetry even after training that established the prerequisite relations that have been sufficient to produce symmetry in pigeons (Campos, Urcuioli & Swisher, ; Urcuioli, ; ; Urcuioli & Swisher, ). The procedures were closely patterned after the experimental strategy used by Urcuioli and his colleagues with pigeons, but several changes were necessary to make the transition to rats and olfactory stimuli.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Emergent identity but not symmetry following successive olfactory discrimination training in rats

Prichard

Panoz-Brown

Bruce

et al. 2015

J Exper Analysis Behavior

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The search for symmetry in nonhuman subjects has been successful in recent studies in pigeons (e.g., Urcuioli, 2008). The key to these successes has been the use of successive discrimination procedures and combined training on identity, as well as arbitrary, baseline relations. The present study was an effort to extend the findings and theoretical analysis developed by Urcuioli and his colleagues to rats using olfactory rather than visual stimuli. Experiment 1 was a systematic replication of Urcuioli's (2008) demonstration of symmetry in pigeons. Rats were exposed to unreinforced symmetry probes following training with two arbitrary and four identity conditional discriminations. Response rates on symmetry probe trials were low and provided little evidence for emergent symmetry in any of the seven rats tested. In Experiment 2, a separate group of six rats was trained on four identity relations and was then exposed to probe trials with four novel odor stimuli. Response rates were high on identity probe trials, and low on nonmatching probe trials. The similar patterns of responding on baseline and probe trials that were shown by most rats provided a demonstration of generalized identity matching. These findings suggest that the development of stimulus control topographies in rats with olfactory stimuli may differ from those that emerge in pigeons with visual stimuli. Urcuioli's (2008) theory has been highly successful in predicting conditions necessary for stimulus class formation in pigeons, but may not be sufficient to fully understand determinants of emergent behaviors in other nonhuman species. Keywords symmetry; generalized identity; successive conditional discrimination; olfactometer; rats; nosepokeThe search for symmetry in nonhuman animals has been both active and controversial since the seminal paper by Sidman, Rauzin, Lazar, Cunningham, Tailby and Carrigan (1982). Sidman et al. showed emergent symmetry along with the other relations of stimulus equivalence in human children, but not in monkeys or baboons. Interest in the possible significance of this empirical difference between humans and nonhuman animals in the relations that may emerge following arbitrary or symbolic conditional discrimination training has led to numerous follow-up studies with many species and procedural variations Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Mark Galizio, Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina Wilmington, 601 S. College Rd., Wilmington NC, USA 28403. galizio@uncw.edu. HHS Public Access Author ManuscriptAuthor Manuscript Author ManuscriptAuthor Manuscript that have yielded mixed results. While emergent identity and transitivity relations have been frequently observed across species, symmetry has been elusive at best (cf., Lionello-DeNolf, 2009;McIlvane, 2013;. Lionello-DeNolf's comprehensive review only found strong evidence for symmetry in two species: in sea lions after extensive training with multiple exemplars and class-specific reinforcers (Kastak & Schusterman, 2002;Schu...

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Emergent identity but not symmetry following successive olfactory discrimination training in rats

Prichard

Panoz-Brown

Bruce

et al. 2015

J Exper Analysis Behavior

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show abstract

“…Notice that each class contains the elements representing the reverse of the nonreinforced arbitrary matching relation (viz., T1→G2 and H1→R2) rather than the elements representing the reverse of the reinforced arbitrary matching relation (viz., T1→R2 and H1→G2). Therefore, antisymmetry is predicted: Pigeons are expected to, and do, show higher comparison response rates on the reverse of the nonreinforced arbitrary matching relations (see also Urcuioli & Swisher, ).…”

Section: Confirmed Emergent Relations Predictions (√ ‐ With Citationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Concurrent identity training is not necessary for associative symmetry in successive matching

Campos

Urcuioli

Swisher

2013

J Exper Analysis Behavior

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Pigeons demonstrate associative symmetry after successive matching training on one arbitrary and two identity relations (e.g., Urcuioli, 2008). Here, we tested whether identity matching training is necessary for this emergent effect. In Experiment 1, one group of pigeons (Dual Oddity) learned hue–form arbitrary matching and two oddity relations which shared sample and comparison elements with the arbitrary relations. A second (Control) group learned the same hue–form matching task and a second (form–hue) arbitrary task which, together with hue oddity, shared only the samples with the hue–form relations. On subsequent symmetry probe trials, four Dual Oddity pigeons exhibited higher probe-trial response rates on the reverse of the positive than negative hue–form baseline trials, demonstrating associative symmetry. None of the Control pigeons, on the other hand, exhibited associative symmetry. Experiment 2 showed that subsequently changing one of the two oddity baseline relations to identity matching in the Dual Oddity group yielded antisymmetry in three of five pigeons. These results are consistent with predictions derived from Urcuioli’s (2008) theory of pigeons’ stimulus class formation and demonstrate that identity training is not necessary for associative symmetry to emerge after arbitrary matching training in pigeons.

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“…However, Urcuioli (2008, Experiment 4) and Urcuioli and Swisher (2012b) showed that if one of the concurrently trained tasks was oddity rather than identity, the opposite effect – termed “antisymmetry” – emerged in testing. In other words, pigeons responded relatively more to the comparisons on BA test trials that were the reverse of the non- reinforced (rather than reinforced) AB training trials.…”

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confidence: 96%

Transitive and anti-transitive emergent relations in pigeons: Support for a theory of stimulus-class formation

Urcuioli

Swisher

2015

Behavioural Processes

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Stimulus class formation is inferred when conditional discrimination training yields new (emergent) conditional relations between the training stimuli. The present experiments demonstrated two such relations in pigeons after successive matching-to-sample training. Experiment 1 showed that transitivity (AC matching) emerged after training on AB and BC arbitrary matching plus BB identity matching: Pigeons responded relatively more to the comparisons on AC test trials in which both the A samples and C comparisons were elements of reinforced arbitrary baseline relations involving the same nominal B stimulus. Experiment 2 showed the opposite effect (“anti-transitivity”) after training on the same arbitrary relations but with BB oddity instead: Pigeons responded relatively more to the comparisons on AC test trials in which the A sample was an element of a reinforced baseline relation and the C comparison was an element of a non-reinforced baseline relation, or vice versa. Experiment 2 also showed that AB and BC training alone generally does not yield an emergent effect. These findings extend the range of emergent phenomena observed in non-human animals and are consistent with predictions from Urcuioli's (2008) theory of pigeons’ stimulus class formation.

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A Replication and Extension of the Antisymmetry Effect in Pigeons

Cited by 10 publications

References 32 publications

Emergent identity but not symmetry following successive olfactory discrimination training in rats

Emergent identity but not symmetry following successive olfactory discrimination training in rats

Concurrent identity training is not necessary for associative symmetry in successive matching

Transitive and anti-transitive emergent relations in pigeons: Support for a theory of stimulus-class formation

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